Shuichi dragged himself into the apartment, making a big show
about being more tired than he was before throwing himself into
Yuki's chair. Unfortunately, Yuki was already seated in it, as
was revealed by the loud "oof!" that the man made when
Shuichi landed.

"Look before you just sit somewhere, all right?"
Yuki growled, though he made no motion to push his pink-haired
lover off of his lap.

Shuichi sighed, resting his head on Yuki's shoulder and
wrapping his arm around him. This surprised Yuki, as Shuichi
usually prattled off his complaints a mile a minute when he was
having a bad day. This could only mean he was having a REALLY bad
day...

"That bad?" Yuki asked.

"Worse. The new manager is a secret agent, Amai is on the
warpath because Ukai Saki has a number one album and now
Seguchi-san is breathing down my neck to do something fast so she
can get her big break, and the new act that Hiro has to work with
is completely evil."

"Where's Tokui?"

"Seguchi-san took him to his house so he and Mika can
figure out some way to help him without moving him in here. And
no, I did not put him up to it. If anything, you did, since he
was steamed when I got there."

Yuki muttered something that sounded like a curse under his
breath. He loved his sister and former brother-in-law and
respected them and their right to raise their children however
they wanted, but sometimes they were both so stubborn that they
forgot what was in the best interest of either of the twins.

"I need a vacation," Shuichi whined. "As a
matter of fact, so do you. These past few years you've become
such a hermit. You don't even go to book signings or interviews
anymore. I can't remember the last time you actually left the
apartment except to see your psychiatrist. All you do is sit in
here and write and watch TV. There's a rumor going around that
you're agoraphobic."

"Not agoraphobic. Just worried Tokui will appear and we
won't be here," Yuki said softly, wrapping his arms around
Shuichi's slender frame. "But now that you mention it, a
vacation does sound like a good idea. Maybe after you get Amai's
career going and we can get all of this straightened out with
Tokui we can go someplace warm..."

Shuichi smiled at the thought. He couldn't remember the last
time he was actually alone with Yuki. It would be nice to go into
a hotel room on some warm, tropical beach and be able to just be
alone without worrying about Tokui interrupting them or
overhearing them...

"It's going to snow," Shuichi said suddenly,
realizing this fact for the first time all day.

"That was a random thought," Yuki observed, running
his hands through Shuichi's soft pink hair. "Did you get a
haircut?"

"Yeah, Hiro took me today. He said I looked like a
bum," Shuichi confirmed. "But I said that about the
snow because I know how much you love snow and we can't leave
just when winter is starting."

"You don't like snow," Yuki pointed out.

"I have to. I love you, don't I?¹" Shuichi asked
teasingly.

"Yes, you do, for some unfathomable reason."

"And you love me back?"

"Don't push it."

"Simple yes or no. You don't actually have to say
it."

"No."

"No, you don't love me, or no, you won't answer
that?"

"No, I don't need to constantly reassure you of my
feelings for you. If I didn't feel the same about you as you do
about me would I have tolerated you for seventeen years?"

"'Tolerated'," Shuichi parrotted with a snort.
"Nice of you to talk about me that way."

"Well, regardless of what anyone feels about you, what it
boils down to is if they can tolerate your boundless energy or
not. If it's one thing I've learned from being with you, it's
that I have far more patience than I thought I did."

Shuichi smiled and lifted his head, meeting Yuki's lips. Yuki
was caught a bit off guard by the sudden gesture, but wrapped his
arms around his lover as he leaned into the kiss, immediately
assuming control as he forced his tongue into the other man's
mouth with little resistance. A first their tongues slid against
each other is a slow and obviously practiced dance, but within
moments the kiss escalated as their hands began to run over each
other, each one fighting with the other's clothes to try to find
some way of reaching the naked skin underneath.

Just as Shuichi managed to get his only hand up the front of
Yuki's shirt a knock on the door stopped them both dead.

Yuki broked the kiss roughly and shouted, with unconcealed
anger and annoyance, "Who is it?!"

"It's me, Eiri-san," came Touma's voice from the
other side.

Shuichi quickly stood up from his lover's lap, only thankful
that his boss hadn't whitnessed the previous scene between the
two. The platinum blonde man hated him and his relationship with
Yuki enough without having it thrown in his face, and after what
he had done to Hiro, Shuichi really wasn't in the mood to test
him.

"Just a second," Yuki muttered, standing up and
punching the code into the new security system he'd had
installed. As soon as the beep signalled he had successfully
deactivated it he turned back around and walked into the living
room, once again sitting in his chair as Shuichi sat on the
couch. "Okay. It's open."

The door opened, and Touma walked in, followed closely by
Amai, who, in turn, was dragging Tokui behind her. Though Shuichi
worked with Amai on a daily basis and liked her well enough, he
never failed to get a slight chill when he saw the girl and her
father standing next to each other. He always felt it was like
looking into some kind of twisted mirror.

"He's all yours!" Amai announced, giving Tokui a
slight shove into the apartment. Tokui lost his balance and began
to fall, but Touma grabbed his shoulder to steady him before he
could.

With his hand still on his son's shoulder, Touma sighed.
"Mika and I discussed this. Though we wish there was another
solution, we really can't see one that would work. So we agreed
that your plan is the best course of action. As soon as you are
able to take him, he'll be staying here with you."

"We can take him now," Yuki announced.

"Where's he sleeping?" Amai asked, looking around
her uncle's apartment. Having grown up spending most of her time
with her father, Amai had never gotten as close to her uncle and
his lover as her brother had.

Yuki shrugged. "Wherever he wants. He usually takes the
couch when he stays here, but there's an almost empty walk-in
closet in my office if he wants somewhere smaller and more
private. Just have to move a few boxes of printer paper and ink
cartridges into a corner and you're good to go."

Tokui nodded and walked in the direction of said area of the
house, Amai close behind him, mostly curious to see her uncle's
office but partially because she wanted to see her brother's new
"room".

"You're really going to encourage this?" Touma
asked, his face neutral but the edge in his voice suggesting he
was less than pleased with this descision.

"I'm not encouraging it. It's just that he's done this
all of his life. I can't miraculously break him of it in one
day," Yuki argued, knowing that Touma didn't like to argue
with him.

Touma just sighed, his face taking on a resigned expression
that Shuichi had never seen him wear. "Whatever you say.
You're the one who is going to save him, not me. Just know that
if he needs anything, please call me and ask."

Yuki nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amai looked around the closet. It was exactly what Yuki had
said it was: plain white with a beige carpet and curtain rods
going around the perimeter except for where the door was and a
single shelf going along the top above the curtain rod. There
were a few boxes on the floor, which Amai had put on the top
shelf for her brother. It was considerably brighter than Tokui's
converted laundry room at Mika's house and pantry at Touma's, and
slightly bigger, big enough to hold a small bed and a stand,
precisely what Tokui owned. (His bookshelf wouldn't be a loss, as
he kept most of his books in boxes on his floor, anyway.)

The room Yuki Eiri used as an office was actually a second
bedroom, converted into a workspace when Yuki had moved in, hence
the closet was designed for clothes and shoes, not for supplies
and certainly not to be used as a bedroom for a teenage boy. But
Tokui seemed to be in heaven in here: not only was it small and
enclosed, but also joined to his mentor's work area, where the
man wrote the books that Tokui admired so much. Perhaps his
uncle's creativity would reach him in this place...

"Well, it's an improvement over what you have at Kaasan
and Tousan's houses," Amai assessed with a nod. "At
least it's brighter in here." Amai turned and faced her
brother, who was still leaning against the door frame.
"Well, baby brother, this is it. We are officially not
living together anymore. Feels kind of weird, doesn't it?"

Tokui shrugged. "We never really 'lived together',
anyway. You spent most of your time with Tousan or at NG and I
spent most of my time here or at Kaasan's. And why do you always
call me 'baby brother'? You're only seven minutes older."

"I mean we lived together in theory. Now you don't
officially live with Kaasan or Tousan, and that's weird.
So you want us to send your stuff over?"

Tokui nodded, taking off his necklace and taking off two keys,
handing them to his sister, as that was why she had asked him
that question.

"Don't worry, baby brother. I'll make sure no one picks
through your stuff. Sure you don't want to come home and get the
real private stuff first?" Amai asked, pocketing the keys.

Tokui shook his head. "Everything private I have I keep
on me at all times."

Amai ruffled her brother's hair. "Smart boy!" She
then watched Tokui as he tried to straighten his hair out again,
laughing. "You just have to be so adorable, don't you?"

"Probably. If he was done he'd have called for me,"
Amai answered, though she turned to leave, taking the hint.
"I'll be back soon with your stuff, baby brother! Stay
adorable!"

Amai left the closet then, shutting the door behind her and
stepping into her uncle's office. Yuki had never been very big on
interior design, choosing furniture and household items based on
their practicality, not their style. And his office was no
exception, as it only had some bookshelves (with both books and
supplies on them), his desk, and two chairs behind it: one a
large desk chair, and the other smaller, probably for Shuichi.

After spending only a few minutes to examine the office (as
she didn't share her brother's admiration for thier uncle or his
profession) she walked back out into the living room. Yuki had
moved so he was sitting on the opposite end of the couch that
Shuichi was sitting on, but so that he was still close to Touma,
who was sitting in his chair.

"He's just getting settled in," Amai announced,
leaning against the back of her father's chair. "I actually
think he's happy here. Well, as happy as he gets,
anyway."

"I was just telling you father about the Neo Grasper
idea," Shuichi said, keeping his gaze fixed on the girl and
not on the man beneath her. It was awkward enough that his boss,
who had hated him for years, was a close personal friend of his
lover, as well as the father of his beloved nephew, but his
charge didn't have to look so much like him. That was just adding
insult to injury.

"I made no promises about that," Amai said firmly.
"I'll admit that it's a great idea, since the novelty alone
will draw in extra revenue, but not only do I not want to work
with Ukai Saki, but I also want to get famous by my own merits,
not by cashing in on my father's name."

"That's my girl," Touma said proudly, listening to
his daughter's buisness savvy and pride, both inherited from him.

"That's why we want you to do the solo album first,"
Shuichi explained. "Because if you establish yourself as a
solo artist and then join a band, it means that you can
make it on your own, you just choose not to. And it's been ten
years since Nittle Grasper stopped touring. Adults will remember
the original Grasper and might buy Neo Grasper albums for that
reason, but we're dealing with a whole new demographic here.
You're Seguchi Touma's daughter and you can't even remember
Nittle Grasper's heyday. You weren't born before their first run
and you were barely six when they stopped the second time. See
what I'm getting at? Neo Grasper is, undoubtedly, a cool idea.
But then there is the added bonus of having less competition.
Right now, you are competing with Ukai Saki for record sales, and
she currently has the advantage of having been established for
three years now. Plus I just got word that Alexander
Sakuma-Winchester wants to start recording albums, so he'll
corner the American market. If we can get you all together in one
place there would be no competetion: the three biggest acts will
be in one place. No one else stands a chance."

Yuki, Amai, and Touma were all gaping at Shuichi and his
uncharacteristic lapse of maturity. Shuichi looked around the
room, then blushed and cleared his throat. "I've been a
producer for five years. I had to have learned something."

Touma nodded. "Well, Shindou-san, it seems your friend
sold you short.You really do have a head for buisness."

Touma gave Yuki one last longing look. "Yes, I suppose it
is getting late. I'll see you again soon, Eiri-san. And
Shindou-san, I want you to write a formal proposal for Neo
Grasper and have it on my desk by tomorrow morning."

"Tousan, I'm not sure if I want to do it yet!" Amai
said firmly. "Don't make him work if he doesn't have
to!"

"I have to have it on file in case you do
decide," Touma told her. He stood and walked toward the
door. "Good night everyone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiro had woke up the next morning telling himself today was
going to be better. Now he wished he could just crawl back into
bed and forget about the day all together.

The first sign that the day wasn't going to be what Hiro would
have liked it was Shuichi was late. Three hours late. Hiro had
had to wait in the living room, with Tokui tucked in the corner
on the floor (no matter how many times Hiro told him he didn't
have to sit there he wouldn't move to the couch) and Yuki sitting
on the couch glaring at him (mostly because Hiro was sitting in
his chair) while Shuichi finished typing a proposal for Touma (on
Yuki's computer, as his had decided to crash this morning, which
meant Yuki was in an even worse mood).

When Shuichi finally came rushing from the direction of the
office, blue folder in hand, he was wearing one of Yuki's old
plum colored suits with a burgundy tie draped around his neck.
Hiro had had to help him tie his tie and help him into his jacket
before Shuichi could put the folder into his briefcase, give Yuki
a quick kiss on the cheek (he had aimed for the lips but Yuki,
not being happy with him, had moved his head at the last second)
and finally left, Tokui in tow.

After arriving at NG, it had been Shuichi's turn to brave his
boss and Hiro's turn to head straight to a rehearsal room. And
that was when the best part of the day had ended....

Hiro had opened the door to rehearsal room six, the room that
he, Kyousei Himeko, and Chen Quon Yue had agreed they would meet
each day the day before. After opening the door, Hiro actually
groaned.

Sitting in a chair, feet kicked up on the table in front of
him, was Chen Quon Yue, smoking a cigarette, with three butts
still smoldering on the floor around him. His hair was in two
pigtails, the silver and blue seperated so perfectly the only way
Hiro could figure he had done it was that he had dyed his hair
while it was in the pigtails, he'd had someone seperate it for
him, or he had an inhuman amount of patience and a couple of
mirrors. His jewelry was unchanged (except, possibly, his
earrings, but Hiro wasn't sure as he hadn't really noticed them
the first time he'd seen him), and he was wearing a dark blue
T-shirt that was cut above his navel, revealing a silver hoop
with a dark blue ball, and written on the shirt, in English, with
white rhinestones, was "ANGEL". He was wearing faded
blue, low-slung bell bottoms, black platform shoes with large
silver buckles on the side of each one, a black belt with a
silver buckle, and the newest addition to his collection of
jewelry were four beaded bracelets in different shades of blue,
black, and white on each wrist. His fingernails were painted
light blue, and he was wearing dark eyeliner, light blue
eyeshadow, and icy blue lipstick. He didn't seem to notice Hiro,
even after he groaned, as he had a far-away look on his face, his
eyes the same dark blue as his shirt, the pupil of his defective
left one twitching slightly.

Hiro cleared his throat, trying to get the younger man's
attention, but this also failed to get him from his trance. His
cigarette was burning down, and would probably burn his fingers
in a moment. Sighing, Hiro walked over to Quon Yue and tapped his
shoulder.

This proved to be a big mistake, as Quon Yue whirled around,
producing a switchblade seemingly from no where and aiming it at
Hiro's throat so that the tip almost touched his neck, his eyes
switching from dark blue to the same icy blue as his lips, the
same icy blue his eyes had been the first time he had made eye
contact with Hiro.

"No one touches me unless I say they can,"
he growled through clenched teeth, the pupil of his defective eye
twitching madly. He took the knife from Hiro's throat, folding it
and pocketing it again. Hiro audibly sighed with relief. He
didn't know Quon Yue well enough to tell if he was capable of
hurting another human being, but if he had to stake money on it
he'd guess that he was. One thing was for sure: Hiro wasn't going
to push it if this man was so sensitive about being touched.

Quon Yue dropped his cigarette to the floor and stepped on it,
along with the other three, which had begun to burn through the
carpet. He didn't make a motion to pick them up, though, and Hiro
gritted his teeth, knowing Touma wouldn't be at all pleased when
he found out. This building was No Smoking, for one thing, and he
would have to replace the carpet.

"You're late, Mr. Suit," Quon Yue observed, eyes
shifting to the bright blue that Hiro knew meant he was planning
one of his evil plots. "Three and a half hours late."

"I had to pick someone up and he was running late,"
Hiro explained, though he didn't feel he owed him any kind of
explanation. "You've been waiting here the entire
time?"

"Life's too short to miss any of it by being late,"
Quon Yue explained, lighting another cigarette with a match from
the box in his pocket. "That producer chick was here, but
she excused herself and left about two hours ago. God knows where
she went." He blew out the match and dropped it on the
floor. Hiro noticed for the first time there were four other
matches there already.

"I'm surprised you have a philosophy like that,"
Hiro mused. "You don't seem like the type to be bound by
deadlines and appointments."

"Well, Mr. Suit, I'm just full of surprises. I'm suprised
you didn't piss your expensive pants when I whipped out that
knife," Quon Yue told him with a smile, taking a drag from
his cigarette and flicking the ashes onto the floor.

The door opened again, and Hiro sighed with relief when he saw
Kyousei Himeko walk in with two cups of coffee. He had a feeling
she had left because she was afraid to be alone with Quon Yue and
had hidden in the staff room downstairs until she saw him come
in. He couldn't say he blamed her; considering what had just
happened, he probably would have done the same thing in her
situation.

"Good morning, Nakano-san," she said brightly,
putting a cup of coffee in front of him. "It is still
morning, right?"

Hiro looked at his watch. "For another hour and a half,
yes."

"Wonderful. That's enough time to pack up and
leave," Quon Yue muttered, rolling his eyes, which were now
a stormy blue-gray color.

"No one is using this room for the rest of the day, and I
have no where else to be," Hiro told him firmly. "We
can stay here all night if we want to."

"Fine. I'm game," Quon Yue said evenly, calling his
bluff. He dropped his cigarette and stepped on it.

Quon Yue sighed, the icy blue color returning to his eyes.
"You're a manager, not an image consultant. I have a gimmick
planned. I have songs ready. I know what image I want. I can
handle it. You get me the gigs, you make me famous. I know that
you have a deal with Seguchi and I know you just want me to get
famous so you can move on because you don't like me. Frankly, I
don't like you, either. So let me do all the hard stuff, and you
do the rest. Got it?"

Both Hiro and Himeko were taken aback by this. They had
expected him to fight them every step of the way, but he actually
seemed to want to make things easier on them.

Hiro locked his eyes on the younger man's, which were still
icy blue and not at all friendly looking. They seemed to be
engaging in a staring contest, Quon Yue not blinking, the center
of his defective left eye twitching ever so slightly. Finally,
Hiro looked down at his briefcase and sighed. "You're right.
I get you the gigs, Kyousei-san handles the financial end, you do
the work. So as soon as you're ready to record-"

Hiro looked across the room at Himeko, who was picking up
cigarette butts and matches, though the damage was already done
to the carpet.

"I don't think he's coming back. Not today, anyway,"
she said softly as she dropped the mess in her hand into the
trashcan.

"Good. After the way he nearly killed me I need a night
to recover," Hiro muttered, not bothering to conceal his
hatred for this man.

"Maybe we're not giving him a chance," Himeko
pointed out. "We are both judging him by how he looks. We
don't really know all that much about him."

"The guy carries around a knife and aims at the throat of
anyone who touches him. That tells me a lot," Hiro
argued, rubbing the front of his neck for effect.

Himeko shrugged and picked up her briefcase. "I think I
am going to go out for lunch, too. Care to join me?"

"Might as well. Not like I have anything else to
do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shuichi wasn't having much luck in his own endevor as he
grasped his folder, waiting for his boss to get off the phone. At
first, he wasn't sure who the other man was speaking to or what
about, but after a few moments the details started to come
together.

When he'd first walked into the room, Touma wasn't on the
phone, but it had rung before Shuichi could hand over the folder,
prompting Touma to make a gesture that implied that he wanted him
to wait before he picked up, his face a perfect mask of false
innocence and warmth.

"Moshi moshi. This is Seguchi Touma speaking." Touma
paused to listen, his façade disappearing as who was on the
other line spoke to him. "How much do you need?"
Another pause. "For what?" Pause. "No, not again.
That's what you told me the last time. I want to trust you this
time, but I am not going to be made a fool of by you again."
Pause. "Suguru, I said no. You've been saying that for three
years. I just can't trust you anymore." Pause. "Suguru,
the only way I will give you that money is if you move to Japan
so I can watch you and make sure you keep your word." Pause.
"Don't tell me that. I know you are coming to Japan for my
wedding. Just pack your stuff and move here entirely. I can make
sure you get into the best rehab center in the country. I'll pay
for that, Suguru, but I'm not going to pay for your drugs under
the pretense you are entering rehab in America. I am sick of you
using the fact that you are all the way in Los Angeles where I
can't see you to take advantage of me." Pause. "You're
in New York now?! When did this happen?" Pause.
"Yes, I believe you went there to get away from your Los
Angeles life, but I still don't trust you. You can start over a
thousand times, but unless you do it in Japan you aren't going to
do it with my money." Pause. "Yes, we are family,
Suguru. That's why you should have more shame than you do. You
are constantly lying to me and abusing my good will. I can only
do that so many times before I put my foot down. If I were really
to do you a favor I'd get on a plane and drag you here against
your will." Pause. "No, Suguru, no. For the last time,
no. Look, I'll wire you enough money for a plane ticket. A one
way ticket. If you are not at my wedding then I will
personally fly to New York and talk to every drug dealer and
junky until I find you and drag you back here. And don't think I
won't. I'll get the police involved if I have to. I'll hire
private investigators. I want to see you get better, Suguru. Not
worse." Pause. "Fine. I'll see you then. And I mean it:
I had better. I will not be pleased if I have to postpone my
honeymoon to go looking for you. For God's sake, you're 32 years
old and you're an intelligent man. You could have done so much
with your life. You still can. If you can clean up your act I'll
give you a job. That's the deal. Now, I have important buisness
to attend to." Pause. "No, Suguru. Just for the plane
ticket. If you're in trouble then coming to Japan will be the
best thing for you. Good bye."

Touma hung up the phone before Suguru could say anything else
and looked up at Shuichi, adopting his fake smile again.
"All right, Shindou-san. Do you have the proposal?"

"Yeah, it's here," Shuichi said quickly after
shaking his head to break the trance the phone call had put him
in. He handed Touma the folder.

Touma leaned back in his chair as he read the contents of it,
nodding occasionally and rocking slightly. Finally, he leaned
over his desk and put the folder down. "Yes, very nice work,
Shindou-san. From the typographical errors it's easy to tell you
rushed it a bit, and you still have that same horrible
signature³, but I can read it and I certainly like what I see. I
will file it immediately for when Amai is ready to form Neo
Grasper."

"Amai said she doesn't know if she wants to go through
with the Neo Grasper idea," Shuichi argued.

"She says that now, but when she releases her solo album
she'll change her tune, no pun intended. I am positive of it. She
is only saying that because she likes to be difficult and she
wants to sound like she doesn't need anyone. She knows that Neo
Grasper is just too good an idea to let slip away."

"With all due respect, Seguchi-san, I think you're wrong.
She likes the creative freedom of being a solo artist too much
and hates Ukai Saki too much to want to form a band with her. The
only way I could convince her to consider it was when I brought
up you were the leader of Nittle Grasper and she would probably
have the same position in Neo Grasper."

Touma leaned back in his chair again. "Yes, that does
sound like her. Really, she doesn't know Ukai Saki well enough to
dislike her. She just resents that she got to record an album
three years ago while she still had to wait. Once she gets this
solo career buisness out of her system she'll be ready to join a
band. We are both very much alike in that we are both willing to
put our personal feelings aside for buisness."

Shuichi bowed slightly. "If you say so,
Seguchi-san." And with that he turned on his heel and left
the office.

As soon as he was gone, Touma pressed the button that
activated his intercom again. "Sako, I'm ready to see
Sakano-san now."

End of Chapter Three

¹ This is a play on words. "Yuki" is the Japanese
word for "snow".

² "Good bye people" in Chinese (Cantonese).

³ In the manga, when Ryuuichi and Shuichi are comparing
handwriting, it's said that both of them have poor signatures
because of their bad handwriting and because neither one can
write in kanji.